The scene at Morant’s Curve yesterday as I was driving along the Bow Valley Parkway
More trails were trackset in PLPP last night including Amos, Woolley, Meadow and Wheeler. Fox Creek, Boulton Creek, and Moraine were groomed. Check the PLPP Live Grooming Report for details.
In Yoho, Kicking Horse River and the Emerald Connector were trackset. Being the first tracksetting on the Connector, it’s reported to be quite rough.
Barbara on Tramline on Jan 9. Photo by Peter Neumann.
It snows almost every night at Lake Louise and the tracksetters are trying to keep up. Peter reported up to 5 cm on Moraine Lake Road which had been groomed and trackset the day before. Pipestone had around 3 cm of fresh snow.
Castle to Baker: The tunnel is in the distance
Yesterday’s tracksetting at Lake Louise included the Geat Divide, Lower Telemark, and Tramline. Unfortunately, a skater trashed the new tracksetting on the entire length of Tramline. Peter saw the results as he was skiing down to the train station.
Castle to Baker: In the tunnel
A light at the end of the tunnel…
Helen Read has aptly named the features which you see on the Castle Lookout to Baker Creek trail. “Double Hump” and the “Tunnel.” I will be posting some of the scenic photos from Castle Lookout to Baker Creek later today, but as I was skiing through the tunnel yesterday, I actually saw a light at the end of the tunnel.
Castle to Baker: Nearing the ned of the tunnel
If you see a light it will either be a snowmobile or a train(or this year, it could also be construction equipment). Yesterday, it happened to be a train!
Castle to Baker: The light I saw at the end of the tunnel was indeed a train!
If you’re skiing from Castle to Baker, after crossing the two “humps,” you come to the tunnel at 3.6K. The tunnel is exactly 1K in length and always has a lot of animal tracks. It can be cold because it is so sheltered from the sun or any warm air that might be wafting through.
I remember the tunnel from my days skiing the Lake Louise to Banff loppet. At the exact time when we were skiing through it, around 9:45 a.m, the sun would be directly in my eyes as it rose above the horizon. Now with the later starting time, I doubt if this year’s skiers will experience the same phenomenon.
Speaking of loppets, have you registered for the Nipika Loppet?
Update from Kicking Horse Ski Club regarding the Avalanche Hazard which you need to cross in order to access the Horse trail and Alluvial Fan at Emerald Lake:
In the spirit of safety….and due to the extreme avalanche hazards throughout the Rockies–the Ski Club has been encouraged to create a trail across Emerald Lake on the ice/slush …….from the Boathouse to the Horse trail….this year–the weather has developed extreme slush and water on top of the ice at Emerald lake. Joe has agreed to try to pack the first few passes on the lake.. We will see how it goes???? SKI SAFE …
